A Bit about me...

I am an Episcopal priest, serving as Rector of Holy Family Episcopal Church in Fishers, Indiana. I have served a variety of types of congregations, in Indiana and California, as well as on a diocesan staff since I was ordained in 1985. While this amount of time in ordained ministry may make some cynical and stuck in their ways, I continue to be curious about why things are and how they can be improved.

The ideas expressed on this website were formed in the parishes I served as rector or vicar, and by the many congregations of the Diocese of Indianapolis I worked with during my nine years as Canon to the Ordinary there. All these experiences helped form my opinions and insights, and I am grateful to all these churches and their people.

My undergraduate degree is in Social Work, and I was one course short of a second major in Anthropology. So I have a built in bias towards changing the world for the better, evaluated by how the least of our society's members are living, and a bias towards evaluating the many cultures in which each of us lives, especially the church.

Autobiographical Details

Why This Website

I am very fortunate in that I grew up with a strong sense of being loved by God. Consequently it felt natural to say yes to God's invitation to become a priest in the Episcopal Church, my home, when I was in college at U.C. Berkeley.

My seminary was Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. From there, I served churches in California and Indiana, and on the staff for the Diocese of Indianapolis.

I am married, with children, grandchildren, and dogs.

Too often, the church is a cold place even as it seeks, both widely and locally, to be open and welcoming. We may open the doors wide, but we don't brush the snow off the pews. Much of my time as a priest has been spent trying to reverse that trend, both through very public and intentional ministries and through private coaching and mentoring.

This website is a collection of some of my thoughts and efforts, in various formats. All come from actual contexts and circumstances, so may prove relevant and helpful to people dealing with similar issues.

We can run but we can't hide

Being part of a healthy congregation can be hard work, so we tend to run away from the effort. And unhealthy congregations tend to reward that avoidance, since that status quo is so comfortable even if the congregation is in a death spiral. But action and inaction, things done and left undone, have consequences that are unavoidable. So it is better to deal with difficulties sooner rather than hiding from them until it is too late.